Railroad Valley springfish
(Crenichthys nevadae)

STATUS:

REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT:

Spawning has never been observed, but is likely similar to that of the White River springfish. Spawning activity is assumed to occur between 82-95°F, typically from March through November. The eggs are adhesive and deposited one at a time, and they may adhere to vegetation. Approximately 10 to 20 eggs are deposited during each spawning and they hatch in 5 to 7 days in similar species. Females may spawn several times per year. Railroad Valley springfish live 3 to 4 years.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT:

Railroad Valley springfish were isolated in six thermal springs distributed in two areas of Railroad Valley as ancient Lake Railroad dried. They are native to Big Warm and Little Warm Springs and Duckwater Creek on the Duckwater Shoshone Indian Reservation and Big, Reynolds, Hay Corral, and North Springs near Lockes Ranch, Nevada . Additionally, they have been introduced outside of their historical range in private ponds at Sodaville, a srping in hot Creek Canyon , Chimney Spring near Lockes, and Warm Spring in Nye County . Railroad Valley springfish have been extirpated at Big Warm Spring. They remain common in Little Warm Spring. However, Duckwater Creek no longer has resident springfish. They remain fairly numerous in Big, North, Hay Corral, and Reynolds Springs. Introduced populations are believed to remain at all but the Warm Spring and Sodaville sites.

THREATS:

Alteration of springfish habitats in Railroad Valley has included diking, outflow diversion and channelization, trampling from livestock watering, pumping of underground aquifers, and nonnative fish introductions.

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